Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1887-09-22
CHAPTER XII.
I AM GUILTY.

Il AM GUILTY.
what shall l dop" asked the duke
of the detective. Except for finding the
portrait set in diamonds, do not see
that we are any the forwarder."
1--WE have a certain clew," said Mr.
Barton. who fattered himself that he
had shown extraordinary penetration
What is the use of a clue, if the
woman will not speakp" cried the duke;
"nothing can be more clear than her
guilt, but if she will not speak, who is
to make her? have heard of many
wonderful things, but have never yet
heard of any power which could force
a woman to speak IL she did not wish
to-"
go to her, your grace, tell her that
if she will give you information as to
how and where you can recover the lost
jewels, will give you some clew, you
VIII not prosecute her: she will turn
queens witness. 1 am sure her courage
has failed her, can see that"
"a good idea," said the duke. II
will go ut once"
Madame" he said gently, "you
have done to me and to mine grevious
wrong. am not here to re roach you
with it, but to ask you not to make the
wrong greater l want to appeal to
your better feelings. My wife has
shown you great kindness, great aflec-
ton. 1 will not ask how you have re-
Quilted her, but appeal 10 your memo
~ of her kindness to tell me where her
jewels are"
II can not she murmured.
Pardon me; that is not true: you can
il you will"
IL can not" she repeated.
The dukes face darkened.
That MEANS" he said, THAT you
will not"
She made no answer.
you add ingratitude to theft, Mrs.
Grey" he cried, angrily. 1 come to
you with offers of mercy. II you will
give us some certain clue to the lost
Jewels, you shall not be prosecuted. IL
you will not. you must suffer as tho law
directs"
IL must suffer-" she said in n low
tone. My lips are locked. You must
do with me what you will"
ct is such an incredible thing" con-
tinued the duke. "You are certainly n
lady, well born, well bred, well edu-
Gated. My wife, out of the kindness of
her heart, brings you home here, and
you repay her by stealing her Jewels; it
is an unheard-of case. Mr.. Barton says
that you are perhaps not the actual
planted here by aLondon gang. think
it very probable, too
For one half moment her face flushed,
and her eyes shone with strange light.
While he was talking to her, while his
words fell like hot lash singing her,
she was saying to herself:
~ am not Mrs. Grey; l am not a
thief; am Marguerite Lady Stair, and
the portrait they think have stolen is
the one my husband gave to me. All
me, how well remember!'
81 know" continued the duke, "that
you will not like to betray your accom-
plices; there is such false notion OF
honor among thieves. If l could per-
suade you, for you own, for my wife's,
for my sake, to give us clew. valued
those jewels greatly; they have been in
my family for many generations. Some
among them belonged to my wife's
mother, and the duchess is deeply
grieved at their loss. l am so anxious
to recover them that would almost
promise to reward the very thieves
themselves if they would restore them.
Ny own SELF" he continued. al should
never have believed it possible or prob
able that you had anything to do with
it, If the portrait had not been found in
your box"
"Will you," she asked, TREMENDOUSLY
twill you give me few minutes in
which to thinkP"
Eyes" he answered, gravely; and she
turned her face to the window. She
lived over the past, with all its sorrows
and heartaches, but with Spartan like
firmness resolved that never, through
word of hers should her daughter S
beautiful head be bent in shame-never
should she know that the woman to
whom she had been so charitable and
kind, the woman accused of being q
thief, was her hapless mother Marguer-
tie Lady Stair. Anything rather than
that-coldness, exile, and death.
TO DE CONTINUED.
Mrs Androxv Carna0ie will ee1ect a Alta